The Mandalorian's story will continue in a Season 4 replacement, but not everyone will be returning from the Disney+ series. Despite previous plans to continue Din Djarin's adventures into a fourth season that even had scripts already written by series creator Jon Favreau, Lucasfilm is shifting course. Instead, Pedro Pascal will next reprise his Disney+ icon in The Mandalorian & Grogu, a big-screen blockbuster set to release on May 22, 2026.
More recently, reports revealed Disney+ had shelved The Mandalorian Season 4 altogether, with the story instead set to continue across theatrical sequels if the 2026 blockbuster proves successful. Along with his iconic Baby Yoda companion, Pascal will be joined by some major star power for The Mandalorian & Grogu, including Jeremy Allen White and Sigourney Weaver.
An unfortunate consequence of dropping from eight TV episodes to a two-hour movie is that the reduced screentime leaves room for fewer characters. As such, several major players from The Mandalorian are, sadly, expected to miss out on the upcoming movie, leaving their futures uncertain.
The Mandalorian & Grogu Won't Bring Back Some Major Disney+ Characters
Temuera Morrison - Boba Fett
After mixed reactions to his Disney+ spin-off, The Book of Boba Fett star Temuera Morrison confirmed he is "on the shelf for a little bit" and, as such, won't be returning for The Mandalorian & Grogu. This is especially tragic as the New Zealander revealed he was set to "turn up" when Season 4 was on the table.
While The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett once led fans to believe Boba Fett would play a major role moving forward, his future is now up in the air. Having overcome Cad Bane and the Pyke Syndicate, the iconic bounty hunter has solidified himself as the Daimyo of Tatooine, respected by its people.
Ming-Na Wen - Fennec Shand
Speaking with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley, Ming-Na Wen confirmed she is "not in [The Mandalorian & Grogu]" but hopes to bring Fennec Shand back in the future. This should come as no surprise, given she is now the right-hand woman to Boba Fett, who will similarly be absent from the Season 4 replacement.
As The Book of Boba Fett likely won't be getting a second season at this point, it's unclear where those characters could next appear. Par for a surprise appearance in The Mandalorian & Grogu, the most obvious option may be as part of the massive cast of Dave Filoni's MandoVerse crossover movie.
Gina Carano - Cara Dune
Gina Carano's Cara Dune was a recurring figure in The Mandalorian's early seasons until the actress delivered controversial remarks that compared the 2022 political climate to Nazi Germany. In response, Lucasfilm dropped Carano from The Mandalorian and stated, "There are no plans" for her to return.
Before Carano's firing, Star Wars had big plans for Dune, with the New Republic officer being teed up to lead Disney+'s Rangers of the New Republic spin-off that was abandoned and later folded into other MandoVerse episodes.
Find out how Star Wars canonized Dune's disappearance from The Mandalorian.
BONUS: Carl Weathers - Greef Karga
Tragically, Greef Karga actor Carl Weathers passed away in February 2024, several months before The Mandalorian & Grogu started filming. As such, Karga will presumably be absent from the big-screen romp, but Lucasfilm has yet to confirm his fate, and there is always a chance the late Rocky actor will be recast.
The Mandalorian's final season left off with Karga taking over as High Magistrate of Nevarro, where he gave Din Djarin a cabin on the outskirts of town to use between his adventures. As such, Karga holds close ties to Din Djarin that will be hard to sever, unless he should be killed off-screen.
BONUS: Giancarlo Esposito - Moff Gideon
Breaking Bad star Giancarlo Esposito led the Empire's villainous charge in all three seasons of The Mandalorian as Empire remnant leader Moff Gideon. However, his saga may have ended in the Season 3 finale as his cruiser crashed into a Mandalore base, engulfing him in flames and seemingly killing him.
That said, where there is no body, there are no guarantees, and Esposito already shared his belief that "Moff Gideon is still hiding out somewhere," but there is currently nothing to suggest he will be back this soon.
While those five familiar faces are expected to be absent from The Mandalorian & Grogu, five characters from the Disney+ series will be back for the 2026 movie.
